Matt Kremnitzer: Should fans be concerned about the Webb trade?

Last week, the Orioles were finally able to deal Ryan Webb, shipping him to the Dodgers along with catcher Brian Ward and the team's competitive balance draft pick (No. 74 overall) in exchange for right-handed reliever Ben Rowen and catcher Chris O'Brien. The Dodgers agreed to pick up the tab on the rest of Webb's $2.75 million contract, and then yesterday, they released him.

The clear takeaway for the Dodgers is this: They really wanted the Orioles' draft pick and the extra draft pool flexibility that comes along with it, and they were willing to spend some money and part with a pair of low-upside minor leaguers to make it happen. And that's great for them and their fans; they have lots of money to spend and are looking for creative ways to use it.

But for the Orioles, the motivation for the trade is less clear. They didn't want Webb anymore, and they obviously didn't want to pay him, either. They also wanted to gain some roster flexibility by getting rid of him. And, as you'd imagine, Dan Duquette had positive things to say about both Rowen and O'Brien. All of that is fine. (For what it's worth, O'Brien is 25 years old and has never played above Double-A, while Rowen, 26, has thrown a combined 8 2/3 major league innings, was designated for assignment last season by the Rangers and wasn't claimed because no team wanted to use a 40-man roster spot on him.)

But instead of releasing Webb and eating the money themselves, the Orioles essentially sold a draft pick to the Dodgers - which sets an interesting precedent. According to Charlie Wilmoth of MLBTradeRumors.com, there has "never ... been a trade that amounted to a dollars-for-draft-pick swap the way this one seems to." He then provides the previous trades involving competitive balance picks from the last few years (for instance, the Orioles traded a pick to the Astros in a package for Bud Norris in 2013) and comes away with this conclusion: "In all draft pick trades before the Webb deal, there are convincing cases that the teams trading picks parted with those picks in large part because they got talent they liked, and not primarily to shed salary. In the Webb trade, in contrast, Webb's salary was clearly a key component of the deal."

Other outlets are starting to catch on that the Dodgers purchased a draft pick. It's worth noting that under the current system, competitive balance selections are the only draft picks that can be traded. But what does the deal say about the Orioles? Are they again searching for some type of advantage? Do they value player options and roster flexibility even more than previously thought? Is there a reason they were so desperate to shed Webb's salary? Could another trade be in the works that makes this one look any better?

What the Orioles have done over the last few seasons has worked. They just won the American League East crown, which still seems ridiculous considering their previous prolonged stretch of futility. But that doesn't mean they should always get a free pass. Perhaps that means they get the benefit of the doubt, sure, especially from an appreciative fan base. And yes, the O's will still have four draft picks in the top 102, thanks to Nelson Cruz declining the team's qualifying offer and bolting for Seattle. But forfeiting the 74th selection for minor league depth and minimal financial savings is perplexing. An extra draft pick is an extra lottery ticket; no one would claim that by itself, the 74th overall pick is a tremendous value. The Dodgers demonstrated about how much that pick is worth.

There are only so many ways to add high-upside talent, which is particularly important considering the number of impending free agents the O's will be dealing with this upcoming offseason. The Orioles do not spend much internationally, and they certainly aren't big spenders in the free agent market (where younger players are increasingly signing long-term extensions). Making smart trades and drafting wisely are critical for the Orioles, especially with a thin farm system. At least when they dealt a pick for Norris in 2013, they acquired an actual major league player.

Matt Kremnitzer blogs about the Orioles at Camden Depot. Follow him on Twitter: @mattkremnitzer. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.